


Bulletproof

by Spinneroftales (orphan_account)



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama & Romance, F/M, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-07-15 22:55:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7242142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Spinneroftales
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zootopia AU fic. After months of degrading work as a meter maid, Officer Judy Hopps is finally given her first real assignment. Too bad it's "babysitting" pampered A-Lister Nick Wilde. He's got a stalker with a grudge to settle, and Judy will do everything in her power to protect him, even if it means losing her heart in the process.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The Assignment

**Author's Note:**

  * For [always_aaack_for_everlark7](https://archiveofourown.org/users/always_aaack_for_everlark7/gifts).



> Hey everyone! This is my very first fic for Wilde Hopps, so I hope you can enjoy it. I don't currently know how long it will be, but hopefully it will be a fun ride for everyone. Thanks for reading!
> 
> Dedicated to my Ally, for being my Wilde Hopps partner in crime and basically coming up with idea with me. Love you!

Judy sighed as she walked through the large glass doors of the police station at the end of her shift. She had been assigned to Zootopia City Center at her police academy graduation ceremony and never had she been so proud of her accomplishments. Two months as a meter maid had destroyed that pride, leaving her exhausted and depressed. She had wanted to help others, to make a difference in the world, but instead she was handing out parking tickets. It wasn’t exactly the life she had always dreamed of.

She made her way past the welcome desk, avoiding eye contact with Clawhauser. He was always there at the end of the day with a smile, a donut and a cheerful pep talk, but she wasn’t in the mood to be told that she needed to ‘hang in there.’ She had been ‘hanging in there’ for what felt like forever and nothing had changed. She wondered if it ever would.

“Hey! Judy!”

She cringed at the sound of her name. Even though she hadn’t made eye contact with Clawhauser, he had noticed her sneaking into the station. The cheetah noticed everything.

Plastering a smile on her face she turned toward the welcome desk. “Hey!” she called out, giving him a little wave as she tried to quickly make her way across the lobby and sneak through the doors to the locker rooms.

“Wait, Judy, Bogo wants to see you before you head home!”

That caught her attention.

Judy wound her way through the officers and civilians in the lobby (narrowly avoiding getting flattened by Francine) and stopped in front of Clawhauser’s desk. “Do you know why?” She asked, trying to catch her breath. Being summoned to the Chief’s office could only mean one of two things: punishment or assignment. Even though she doubted it was the latter, she couldn’t think of a single thing she had done to warrant being chastised. She may have hated being a meter maid, but she had done a damn good job of it. Her pride demanded no less from her.

Clawhauser shrugged his shoulders. “He didn’t say much, just that he wanted to see you in his office before the end of the day.”

A nervous tremor raced through her body, and she could feel her nose twitching the way it always did when she sensed danger. “I- I uh… I guess I’ll go see what he needs,” she said. 

Why did it sound like she was heading to her own funeral?

***

“You wanted to see me, sir?”

Judy poked her head around Bogo’s door, giving the buffalo a wary look. All the way up to his office, she had been trying to think of what she could have possibly done wrong. After her first day on the squad, she hadn’t even tried to protest her unfair placement on traffic duty. She had been an exemplary officer… so why the summons?

 

Bogo looked up from the file folder in his hoofs, and his brows knitted together as he noticed her in the doorway. “Ah, there you are Hopps. Come on in and close the door behind you.”

Dread filled her as she followed his request, slipping into the room and making sure the door was closed when she walked in. The moment she got settled in the chair opposite him, Bogo templed his hooves and gave her an appraising glance. She couldn’t say why, but this sudden interest in her was almost frightening.

“Did I do something wrong, sir?” she asked.

A strange smile lit up on his face and Judy fought the urge to shrink back in her chair. “Actually, I have an assignment for you,” he said slowly, letting the words sink in.

Judy sat frozen in her seat, certain that she hadn’t heard him right. “A… An assignment? You mean something other than parking duty?” Was there something lower than that? Something even more demeaning? Was it possible?

He handed the file he had been perusing to Judy and she took it with trembling paws. “Do you recognize this fox?” he asked, gesturing to the picture that had been paperclipped to the inside of the manila folder.

Judy only had to glance at it to know who he was. It was Nick Wilde, an A-list actor most widely known for his recurring starring role as international spy Robert Gamble. She doubted there was an animal in all of Zootopia who didn’t recognize him.

“Is he the victim or the perp?” Judy asked, unable to tear her eyes away from the headshot of the famous fox.

“He and his agent came into the station about an hour ago with a stack of letters. It turns out Mr. Wilde has been getting death threats mixed in with his usual fan mail. They ignored them for awhile, but they decided to get the police involved when they one of his assistants was injured opening a package meant for him.”

Judy’s nose began twitching again. “What was in the package?”

“A pressurized can of ammonia,” he said flatly. “It got in her eyes and singed the fur off her arms and face.”

She swallowed hard, trying to block that image from her mind. How could someone do that to someone else? It took a genuinely sick mind to want to hurt another animal so brutally.

Her eyes darted back to the file to give herself something to do while she tried to process the horrific image of some poor animal being injured in such a way. She scanned the information that they had at this point and it wasn’t much, which struck her as odd. Shouldn’t they have more than just the statement about the threatening letters and the deadly package? Where were her copies of the letters? Where was the agent herself, or even Nick Wilde for that matter? Were they still here? Shouldn’t she be interviewing them?

 

“Sir, I think my file is incomplete,” Judy said, showing him the single piece of paper inside it. “Are Mr. Wilde and his agent in an interview room downstairs? Should I go and collect more information?”

“No, Hopps. You should leave that kind of work to the real officers,” Bogo said simply. He stood up from his desk and walked around it until he was standing in front of her, staring her down.

She didn’t understand what he wanted from her. “Then why did you give me this file? If you’ve already got officers looking for the stalker, what is _my_ assignment?”

“We need someone who can keep a close eye on Mr. Wilde at all times, someone who can blend in at his side and keep him out of trouble,” he told her, his voice flat. “As of now you are on bodyguard duty.”

All the blood drained from her face, leaving her feel helpless and just a little bit dizzy. She was on bodyguard duty for some spoiled, selfish movie star. _Glorified babysitting_ they had snarkily referred to it at the academy, and they weren’t wrong. It was just a step above being a security guard at the mall.

“But sir!” Her protest sounded whiny, even to her ears.

“This is an undercover mission, Hopps. We don’t want the stalker to know that the police have gotten involved. No one would identify _you_ as a cop.” 

Judy winced. That was a low blow.

“So what exactly am I going undercover as? Some kind of personal assistant?” she asked, trying not to let her frustration bleed into her words.

Bogo grinned as though whatever plan he had decided on was going to be particularly unpleasant for her.

Why oh why had she not been satisfied being a meter maid?


	2. Chapter One: The Set-Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grizzoli explains what Judy's place in the investigation is, and Judy prepares herself for what it's going to mean to be at Nick's side 24/7.

“Yes sir. I understand. We’ll wait here for Officer Hopps and bring her up to speed. No sir, of course not _all_ the details...”

Nick watched with feigned disinterest as the wolf officer, Grizzoli, took a phone call from the chief of police. Whoever he and Bogo were conversing about, it didn’t sound like they really wanted her to be part of his case. He felt vaguely uncomfortable that he had to listen to it, especially if he was going to be trusting this officer with his life. It was unprofessional to say the least and more unsettling than he was willing to admit out loud.

“Sounds like they don’t think their female officer is any good,” Finnick mumbled in his ear. Nick gave his agent a quick nod, not wanting to draw Grizzoli’s attention with a response. The officer seemed competent enough, but there was something about him that was off putting. He just hoped he had a solid plan to keep him safe from the lunatic that was trying to get to him. 

The wolf hung up the phone and turned a wide smile on Nick. “Sorry about that, Mr. Wilde. I was just informed by the chief that we have another officer joining our team for the duration of your case. She’ll be working with you in a closer manner than the rest of our department since she can blend in in a way that the rest of us can’t even hope to. We need someone at your side at all times. I hope you don’t have a problem with rabbits.” Grizzoli chuckled, like he had just made a joke. Nick didn’t find it very funny.

“I don’t have a problem with anyone as long as they can get their job done,” he said, but then hesitated as something the wolf had said permeated his thoughts. “You said she’s going to be working closer with me than anyone else? What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Well, we decided it would be best to keep this investigation a secret so as not to alert the stalker, correct?” He paused to let Nick nod, and then he continued. “We can’t just leave you unguarded. The team will have your phone lines monitored and keep surveillance on you, but having someone in your home night and day is important as well. For that we need someone who won’t be looked at as a threat, someone who can blend in at your side and won’t be pegged as an officer.”

“But… a rabbit? Are you serious? How is she going to protect me?” Nick was beginning to realize why Grizzoli and the Chief had spoken about her the way they did. Who had ever heard of a bunny officer?

Grizzoli grinned again, but this time his eyes narrowed with some kind of private joke. “Oh, she was valedictorian of her police academy class.”

Nick wasn’t sure if he should believe the wolf or not, especially with him grinning the way he was. He opened his mouth to ask for clarification of the situation, but the door to the interview room opened and in stepped the bunny in question, leaving him temporarily speechless.

If a bunny could ever be labeled “fierce,” she would be the one. Her eyes were liquid purple fire, and the set of her mouth was tight and angry. She may not have been intimidating in the traditional sense, but he certainly hoped he never got in her way when she was frowning like that. How was the wolf not quaking in his boots?

“Grizzoli,” she said tightly, forcing a smile to her lips. “Chief Bogo said that you were going to give me the information I need about my assignment.”

“Come on in, Officer Hopps,” Grizzoli said, gesturing to the chair opposite Nick. “I was just about to explain to Mr. Wilde here what your role is going to be.”

“I guess I got here just in time then.” The bunny sauntered over to the chair and then scrambled up, pulling herself into the seat. If she hadn’t already looked so pissed, Nick might have found it funny.

“Officer Hopps, I’m Nick Wilde and this is my agent, Finnick,” he said by way of introduction and held out his paw to shake hers. He was impressed that she didn’t seem starstruck by him; it was a welcome relief.

She shook his paw and then dropped it quickly. She was all business it seemed. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Wilde. I’m Officer Judy Hopps. It looks like we may be spending a good deal of time together.”

Grizzoli made a coughing, growling sort of sound to get their attention back on himself. “Now that the basic introductions are over, let’s cut through all the chit chat and get down to business.”

Judy raised an eyebrow, but Grizzoli ignored her.

“As I was telling you a few minutes ago, we don’t want to alert the stalker to the fact that we are trying to catch them. In the past, we have had a case where the stalker caught wind of our investigation and went to ground until the surveillance was removed. It didn’t end well for the victim. We don’t want the same thing to happen in this situation, Mr. Wilde.”

Nick looked at Finnick, but his agent didn’t seem to understand where this was going anymore than he did. “So what does that all mean?”

“First of all, when I said that we were going to have Officer Hopps in your home night and day, I meant it. We don’t want to leave you unguarded for a minute. It’ll be easier if she isn’t some kind of personal assistant or maid, since they will be expected to leave your home at the end of the day. We need her to be at your side when you go out in public and when you are home for the evening. It may seem like an invasion of privacy, but until this case is wrapped up and we find the stalker, you aren’t going to have much privacy at all.”

“Grizzoli, if you’ve got something to say just spit it out.” Nick was exhausted. It had been a long day and he wasn’t in the mood to play games. After he was done here, he needed to get over to the hospital and check on his assistant, and he had a million other things to do besides that. If the wolf wanted to drag things out, he was talking to the wrong fox.

The wolf rolled his eyes, but to his credit he didn’t snap back at Nick. “The Chief and I think the best way to slip Judy in unnoticed is to make her noticed. We don’t want the stalker wondering why she’s constantly at your side… so she’s going to be your girlfriend.”

Silence fell over the conference room as Nick and Judy stared at Grizzoli and then at each other. It may have continued for longer, but Finnick’s laugh rang through the room like a bark of thunder.

Judy was the first to gain control of her wits, and she leaned across her chair to glare at Grizzoli. “Excuse me? His what?”

“It’s the only logical way to explain why you are going to be at his side 24 hours a day for the next few days or weeks. You know that it makes sense,” Grizzoli argued.

Judy looked like she wanted to reach across the table and punch him in the face.

Nick, on the other hand, was stunned. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but it wasn’t having a bunny girlfriend. It wasn’t that he cared about appearances, he just wasn’t sure anyone would buy it. What kind of cover story could he possibly come up with that would explain why he had suddenly taken an interest in a bunny… even if she was kind of cute.

“How were we supposed to have met? I don’t exactly spend a lot of time off the set lately,” Nick pointed out. Not that he was trying to get out of this. Of course not.

“We have that covered too,” Grizzoli said with a smirk. “It’s a good idea to have some kind of story just in case someone saw you come to the ZPD today. The cover story is that you came to interview some detectives for your current film role and Officer Hopps here is the one you talked to. During your conversations, you asked her to dinner to discuss things more in depth, which is where the two of you are headed tonight. Afterward she will go home with you and stay at your side until this is all resolved. Are we clear on this?”

Nick was impressed, even though he didn’t really want to be. They had come up with this idea on the fly, and he had to admit that it made sense. How else could they explain why she was at his side and in his house? He just didn’t know how to handle the fact that he was going to be sharing his home, his _life_ , with a rabbit. It wasn’t something he had ever imagined.

“Crystal clear,” Judy said, the words were clipped. She was obviously as annoyed with this as he was, and somehow that made him feel better about the whole thing.

Grizzoli put a paw to his forehead and gave Judy a mock salute. “Well then, I think that’s all you need to know for now. You should get going or you’ll be late for your date.”

***

“What in the hell am I supposed to wear tonight?”

Judy tore through her small closet, looking at the meager selection before her. When she had come from Bunnyburrow a few months before, she hadn’t exactly packed clothing that would be suitable for dating a movie star. She only owned one dress, but it was a simple dark purple sheath… not nearly elegant enough for someone out with Nick Wilde.

She groaned and threw herself back on her bed, grabbing a pillow so she could scream into it. She felt like she was the butt of some large scale practical joke and she didn’t appreciate it one bit. Honestly, she was tempted to call the whole thing off and let the department find someone else to play his “girlfriend.” If she wasn’t worried about blowing the only assignment she had ever been given, she probably would have. As it was, this was her chance to prove she was an asset to the ZPD. She would find some way to accomplish it or die trying.

She supposed it would have to be the purple sheath tonight, but she promised herself that with her next paycheck she would buy some new clothing. Not that she cared what Nick thought. No, of course she didn’t. She just didn’t want to blow the mission by under dressing and alerting people to the fact that she couldn’t possibly have caught the attention of the most famous fox in Zootopia. 

It made sense, right?

Who was she kidding? When she walked into the room and saw Nick’s face, she was a little star struck, though she had fought to hide it. She had taken her younger sister, Addison, to see the first Robert Gamble movie four times before she had gone into the Police Academy. Nick was an incredibly talented actor and even quite good looking (though she hated to admit it). Being seen in public with him, even for show, was something she never could have dreamed of. How was she supposed to keep her cool around him for weeks? She wasn’t sure she could even make it through this first date.

Her hands shook as she pulled her dress of the hanger and held it up to her body in front of the mirror. Just as she had remembered, it looked plain and forgettable. Not at all the sort of thing Nick would appreciate. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any other options, so it would have to do. She just hoped the tabloids wouldn’t rake her over the coals too badly. It was going to be bad enough with the paparazzi speculating on who she was and why a famous actor like Nick would waste his time with some random prey animal.

She took a deep breath and let it out. She couldn’t afford to let negative thinking drag her down. After all, she was Officer Judy Hopps, the first bunny police officer ever! Valedictorian of her class! She hadn’t gotten there by feeling sorry for herself, so it was time to shape up focus on the positive in the situation. 

At least her dress matched her eyes.

Judy gave herself a pep talk as she dressed for her “date.” She reminded herself yet again that this was a golden opportunity to prove to Bogo and the rest of the ZPD that she was a valuable team member. If she kept Nick safe and convinced him to confide in her, maybe she could bring some new information to the team! By the time the next case like this rolled around, she could be the lead investigator! She could definitely do this.

She had just found her thigh holster for her taser when there was a knock at her door. Judy’s eyes moved to the tiny digital alarm clock on her desk, noting that it was seven o’clock on the dot. She appreciated a male who was on time.

When she opened the door, she gave him a polite smile. “Good evening, Mr. Wilde. Would you care to come in for a minute?” His answering smile left her breathless and she had to force herself to look away. 

“Nice - uh - place you got here,” Nick said as he stepped inside the small apartment.

“Yeah well, I can’t afford much better on a police officer’s salary,” she admitted. She snatched her taser off the small table near the door and went about fixing it to her thigh. Thankfully, the sheath dress had a high slit and she was able to part the material without too much hassle and wrap the holster around her leg. When she heard Nick’s indrawn breath, she looked up from her task and saw that his eyes were fixed on her bare leg and his pupils were beginning to dilate.

Heat rose to her cheeks as she finished strapping the taser in and then let her dress fall back into place. “Sorry about that,” she mumbled. “A tranquilizer gun is a little big for this dress, but I need to be able to protect you if it comes to that and I can’t wear anything around my hip. We don’t want to draw any suspicion, right?”

He swallowed, brought his eyes back up to hers and then nodded. Within seconds he was composed again, like nothing had happened at all.

“Grizzoli set up the reservation for seven thirty, so we probably better head out. Are you ready to go?” He asked.

Judy nodded and reached for his outstretched arm. “Let’s make some headlines.”


	3. Chapter Two: Showtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy and Nick go on their first "date" and Judy has a little trouble separating fiction from reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know it's been awhile and I really want to apologize for that. It's been a really crap year for my family (Five deaths, a possible divorce, an arrest, and various other stressful situations) and I haven't been as productive as I wish I could have been. I promise in the future to try and update more often than every six weeks, but knowing the way the year has been going up to this point... you may have to bear with me. The one thing I can promise is my devotion to Wilde Hopps and seeing this story through to the end before starting on my myriad of other WH projects. I hope you guys can forgive me! This chapter is extra long to make up for the wait. Love you all!

It was her first ride in a limousine and she was too nervous to enjoy it.

The false bravado she had shown in her apartment had disappeared as soon as she got settled into her seat. Now she sat with her paws clasped in her lap, her eyes focused on the back of the chauffeur's head, as Nick attempted to compliment her. It was almost endearing… or it would have been if she hadn’t known that he was one of the most talented actors in the film industry.

“You look beautiful,” he told her, his voice earnest.

Discomfort swept through her. She had always prided herself on being able to tell when someone was lying to her or not, but it didn’t seem to work on him. She didn’t like it much. 

“Thank you,” she said for lack of a better response. “You look nice too.”

Though honestly, nice was an understatement. He was dressed in a classic black suit that hugged his body in all the right places, obviously tailored to fit him. It did have a few personal touches in the form of matching cufflinks and tie tack in a green gemstone that matched his eyes. It was a classy look that screamed wealth and status. She was certain that next to him she looked like a sack of potatoes, but it didn’t matter much. She doubted anyone would be looking at her when they could be looking at Nick.

Speaking of Nick, she watched as he settled himself back against the soft seats in the back of the limo, a smile playing around his lips as he looked back at her. “This is going to be a very interesting couple of weeks.”

“You can say that again,” she mumbled, fighting the desire to cross her arms over her chest. She had studied body language at the academy and knew that she was trying to distance herself from him and the situation, but also knew that she didn’t have that option. If this was going to work she had to seem open and interested… so crossing her arms was out of the question. It didn’t stop her from wanting to, though.

Silence settled on them for the remainder of the drive to the restaurant, and while Judy knew that it was her fault, she didn’t know how to fix it. She was sitting in a limousine next to an A-list movie star… what do you say in a situation like that? The only time she had even come close to something like this was when she met Mayor Lionheart at her graduation from the academy. It didn’t even compare to what she was going through now. For starters, she hadn’t exactly been expected to convince the world she was _in love_ with the Mayor…

The reality of the situation crashed down around her, panic flaring as the limo rolled to a stop in front of the restaurant. Could she really do this? She was a police officer for goodness sake, not an actress! How was she going to convince anyone that she even knew Nick Wilde, let alone was moving in with him? It was insane! What had Bogo and Grizzoli been thinking?!

“Judy, look at me.”

She swiveled her head so quickly that dizziness threatened to claim her. It was the first time he had called her by her name and it shocked her. “What?” she whispered, her voice choked with nerves.

He must have realized how close she was to falling apart, because he turned to the chauffeur. “Kyle, would you mind giving myself and Ms. Hopps a moment?”

The moment they were alone, Nick took her paw in his, staring intently into her eyes. “Judy, I need to know if you can pull this off. If you can’t, we have to change the entire plan, so I need to know… _can_ you do this? Can you sell our relationship?”

Change the entire plan? She would be removed from the case! She may have been relegated to bodyguard duty with the instruction to play a lovesick bunny, but she wasn’t going to let anything send her back to being a meter maid. This was her one shot and she wasn’t going to blow it.

She straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. “I can handle it,” she said, the words a vow. “Can you?”

He chuckled and then brushed a feather light kiss on her temple, leaving her stunned and wide eyed. “Did you forget that I’m an actor? This is what I do.”

It was a struggle to get rid of the shock on her face that lingered from his kiss, but she knew she couldn’t get out of the car until she had composed herself. Several deep breaths later she tossed him what she hoped was a winning smile and squeezed the paw that still wrapped around hers. “All right, Nick, I’m ready.”

He brought her paw to his lips and kissed it gently. “That’s my girl.”

Her heart fluttered in her chest at his touch and she stifled a groan. This was going to be the longest assignment of her life.

***

“Here you are, Mr. Wilde, the best table in the house.”

They were ushered into a booth up on the second floor of the restaurant with a view overlooking the rainforest district. It was breathtaking, and Judy couldn’t help but stare in open mouthed wonder. It was spectacular! How many animals got the opportunity to see a view like this? She could stand at the window for hours and watch as the dew fell from the wide leaves of the trees. It was mesmerizing.

She was forced to tear her attention away from the view when Nick stepped up behind her and put his paw on her lower back, leading her into their booth. After she slid in, he followed after and sat closer than she had expected. His leg brushed against hers and an electric thrill ran through her, surprising her with its intensity. She was actually attracted to him on a physical level, more than just an appreciation of his face. She hoped he hadn’t noticed her reaction. Having him know how his nearness was affecting her would make everything so much more awkward and neither of them needed that.

“Judy?”

She jumped as Nick’s paw landed on her shoulder, then winced in apology. It wouldn’t do for her to appear uncomfortable with him. “Yes?”

Nick gestured to the waiter who was standing on the other side of their table with a pad of paper and pen in his paws. “What would you like to drink?”

“Oh.” She felt the blood rushing to her face in her embarrassment. She had been so focused on not letting Nick seeing how his touch affected her that she hadn’t even noticed the waiter taking their drink order. She needed to take control of her emotions or she was going to ruin everything before it even got started.

“Parano wine?”she suggested, hoping that this restaraunt carried her favorite drink. She needed to calm her nerves a bit.

The waiter nodded politely and slipped away from the table, leaving them alone together. Nick raised an eyebrow. “A carrot wine?”

Judy shrugged. “It’s a comfort thing.”

Nick shook his head and let out a small chuckle. She, on the other paw, let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding and made a move to scoot over and put some room between them. Nick was quicker and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to hold her where she was. “You don’t want to blow our cover do you?” he whispered in her ear, his nose brushing against her cheek.

“I didn’t realize anyone was around to watch us,” she said, giving the room a glance. As she had noted, it was nearly empty. Only two tables on the other side of the room had guests and none were paying them much attention.

Nick laughed into her ear, the sound of it like a weight in her gut. Flirting was not her strong suit, but he had the act down pat.

“We have to act like we are always being watched. Otherwise we might slip up and someone might realize we aren’t madly in love,” he teased, and moved his nose down to nuzzle her neck.

She gasped, eyes wide. Sweet cheese and crackers, she was out of her league here. The Police Academy had trained her for dozens of situations including hostage incidents and what to do when caught in a firefight, but being teased and flirted with by a mega-movie star on the rise was not something they had classes on.

It was a good thing she was a quick study.

She batted her eyelashes at him, knowing she probably looked ridiculous, and reached her paw across the table to cover his. “Well, we wouldn’t want anyone doubting our story, would we?”

He winked at her and she felt it all the way down to her toes. At least she was learning from the master.

***

“That wasn’t so bad, was it, Carrots?”

Judy slumped back against the seats in the limousine, exhaustion making it impossible for her to keep up their charade for another minute. It was just lucky for her that the windows were tinted for Nick’s privacy. She could let herself relax before their next big show at his condominium.

It wasn’t the same kind of exhaustion she felt after a good workout, where her muscles screamed and her adrenaline was spiking. This felt more like a loss than a gain. So many times during their meal she had noticed other patrons staring at them as they had been led to their seats. Nick had handled it with a smooth grace, either leaning down to whisper some ridiculous nonsense in her ears or brush a kiss across the back of her paw. Without fail, she had found herself getting swept up in the romance of it for just a moment before reality rattled around in her brain and reminded her that it was a charade. The back and forth of her emotions, of losing herself just a little bit to the lie, had her more tired than a five mile run could ever do.

“I thought I told you not to call me Carrots,” she sighed, unable to put up much of a fight. “And yes actually, it _was_ that bad. I don’t know how you do this for a living. Do you ever get a moment to breathe and just be you?”

“If you didn’t want me to call you Carrots, you shouldn’t eat like a stereotypical bunny,” Nick loosened his tie and got comfortable in the seat across from her. Her mouth ran dry and she forced her gaze away from him and the disheveled sexy aura that he oozed without even trying. “And you’ll get used to performing all the time. It becomes second nature after awhile.”

“So… when you aren’t performing, what do do you do for fun or just to unwind?” she asked, wondering if he _would_ open up to her in a genuine way. It was a simple question, but it could be the first step in getting to know the real him. It would make their time together much more bearable.

“Are you actually interested, or are you just collecting information on me to make your job easier?”

Judy flinched at his stinging words. She didn’t feel that she had deserved them, though maybe her focus on her job gave him pause in getting personal with her. “I really want to know. Is that so strange?”

His hesitation spoke volumes.

“Nick, I want us to be friends. Don’t you?”

He flashed her a grin, one that his character, Robert Gamble, was famous for. It was lopsided with a hint of mischievous. Females all over the world sighed at the sight of it. Not Judy. She could tell it didn’t reach his eyes.

“How can I turn down an offer like than from an officer of the law? Doesn’t everyone need friends in high places?”

Disappointment seeped through her but she held it at bay. She had only met Nick a few hours earlier, she shouldn’t have expected him to jump at the chance to befriend her. It would take time… at least that’s what she hoped. She couldn’t accept the fact that he might never warm to her, especially if they were going to be attached at the hip for weeks on end. Wasn’t it always better to get along in situations like this? She decided that the only way to get it started was to open up to him first.

“I like to jog in the evenings when I get off work, and I’m a voracious reader. I also used to do the Sunday Crossword with my dad every weekend.”

The side of his mouth twitched and his eyes warmed to her. “I enjoy playing the stock market, and I do all my own research before talking to my Broker. I also have a poker group that I play with every Friday evening, though I guess I’ll have to make excuses for the next few weeks since girlfriends and wives aren’t invited.”

Judy fought to hide her smile, both at the fact that he had given her an answer to her probing question and that he had smiled (somewhat) as he did it. It was a step in the right direction for sure.

She turned her attention back to the windows and was surprised by the scenery flashing by outside. They were heading out into the Meadowlands, an area she wasn’t as familiar with. As a meter maid (she winced just thinking the words), she tended to stay in the central areas of Savannah Central and Sahara Square. Meadowlands was out in a more suburban area and she was surprised that Nick had his home there.

“Meadowlands? Really? I pegged you for a mansion in Savannah Central for sure,” Judy said aloud, just to see if he would respond.

Nick shrugged and turned away from her ever so slightly. The distance between them had grown again. “It’s where my mother grew up before she married my father and moved into the more populated area of the city. It’s a quieter place, which gives me a little more anonymity, though not much. I still have neighbors who are incredibly nosy, which is why we have one more little show to put on before heading to bed.”

“I haven’t forgotten the plan,” she said, as if she _could_ forget. They had discussed the whole thing while enjoying their meal and she knew that the flirting at the restaurant was nothing compared to what was to come when they arrived at the condo.

As the limousine pulled up in front of a large brownstone apartment building, she felt her anxiety skyrocketing just as it had when they had pulled up to the restaurant. Flirting was one thing, but could she pull this next part off without a hitch? It would be a markedly shorter performance, but would require a great deal more dedication. Could she do it?

Looking across the seat into Nick’s eyes, knowing that the secrecy of this mission depended on her… she knew that she could do this. She had wanted to protect and serve, and here was the first opportunity she had received to do just that. She wasn’t going to let Nick down.

The chauffeur, Kyle, opened the door for them and Judy took a deep, calming breath. _Showtime._

Nick slid out of the car first and then held out his paw to her, assisting her out of the limousine. She hopped down and immediately was tugged into his side, his arm around her back and his paw lingering at her waist. She gave him what she hoped was an adoring smile and then let him lead the way into his building, her own paw sliding up his back under his suit coat. To anyone who saw them, nosy neighbors and paparazzi alike, they looked like any touchy feely couple just coming home from a date. It wasn’t quite enough.

Judy moved closer against his side as they walked through the large glass front doors of the building, nodding to the doorman as they passed through. She saw the elevators directly across from the doors on the opposite side of the lobby and wasn’t surprised when Nick led her in that direction. What did surprise her was the sudden feeling of his paw running through the fur of her tail. 

Keeping a straight face, she moved faster toward the elevator and when the door opened she shoved Nick inside and against the mirrored walls. His eyes flew open, obviously not expecting her aggression. She didn’t give him a chance to respond to the sudden “passion;” she just dragged his mouth down to hers and planted a kiss on him that was so forceful it made him move his paw to cradle her close. This may have been more than they were planning to do for prying eyes, but it was vastly preferable to the sensations running through her at having a virtual stranger stroke her tail.

When she finally let him go, they were both breathing hard from the intensity of the kiss. She moved her mouth from his lips and placed them next to his ear so he could be sure to hear what she was saying. “Don’t ever touch my tail. That’s an intimate place.”

He chuckled, moving his muzzle up and down her neck pressing little kisses along the way. “I thought this was supposed to be intimate. Isn’t that the point of this little charade?”

Judy growled low in her throat. “Not _that_ intimate.”

He grinned at her, his eyes sparkling with humor, and leaned around her to hit the button for his floor. As soon as that was done he focused his attention back on her, one paw moving to stroke her face. “So what _am_ I allowed to do in public if I can’t play with your cute little tail?” he asked, his thumb stroking her bottom lip.

Judy shivered but didn’t stop him. She couldn’t, not when she knew that his elevator had a camera pointed right at them. Instead she moved in, pulling him down for another kiss. “Use your imagination… just don’t touch the tail.”

He laughed again, this time against her lips. “How do I know that I won’t be getting into more trouble? Shouldn’t I just leave all of these decisions to you?”

She rolled her eyes and tilted her head back, letting him trail his muzzle along her throat again. “A gentleman wouldn’t force a lady to make all the moves.”

His paw moved down her back to her tail again, giving it a gentle tug. “Who said that I was a gentleman?”

She opened her mouth to chastise him, but he was quicker than she was and placed his mouth over hers for another kiss, this one taking advantage of her parted lips. Judy wasn’t prepared for this, and it momentarily stunned her. She barely even noticed the elevator pausing and sliding open to admit one of Nick’s neighbors. She probably would have been content to let Nick kiss her all night if it wasn’t for the snort of derision that cut through the sensual haze she found herself lost in, dragging her back to the surface.

“Good evening, Mrs. Ashby. Heading out?”

Nick’s voice was calm and polite, as though he hadn’t just been caught ravishing a member of a different species in an elevator. Mrs. Ashby, a beaver, smiled at them, but Judy could see the speculation and judgement in her eyes. If it hadn’t all been an act, Judy would have informed the female that love had no boundaries… but it _was_ an act. The reminder was like being doused by a bucket of ice water. Suddenly she was very tired. She didn’t want to do this anymore tonight.

The few seconds that remained until they reached Nick’s floor was uncomfortable, filled with the pointed stares from Mrs. Ashby and the gentle strokes of Nick’s paw as it traced her curves. When the doors opened, Judy sprinted out of the elevator and into the small private foyer of the penthouse suite.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would have said you were embarrassed back there,” Nick teased as the elevator began signalling its descent.

She refused to let him rile her up again, not after she had finally got her head on straight. “I need your keys,” she told him, her tone filled with authority. “You’ll stay out here in the foyer while I do a thorough check of the apartment.”

Nick rolled his eyes, but did as she asked, digging through his pockets until he found his keys and then he tossed them at her. “Need anything else?” he asked wryly, leaning against the wall and watching her with exaggerated restraint.

“This is something I’m going to have to do every time we leave your place and come back. Since I’m the one who is going to be your constant companion, it’s up to me to guarantee your safety and make sure there are no surprises,” Judy said, trying to stress the importance of his situation. “We don’t want another ammonia incident.”

The reminder of his assistant’s accident earlier that day, the accident that had been meant for him, seemed to sober him up a little and his ears and tail drooped. “No, we definitely don’t want that.”

“Just wait here until I come back to let you know it’s all safe, okay?” She reached out and touched his arm, knowing full well the physical contact was a mistake but being unable to stop herself. Before she could embarrass herself any further, she crossed the foyer to the door, unlocked it, and stepped inside.

The first thing she noticed after finding the light switch was how sparsely the condo was furnished. There was a fireplace against one wall with a flat screen television mounted above it, but only a black sofa and a coffee table nearby. There were no extra chairs, no dinner tables and very little in the way of decorations on the wall. As far as she could tell there was only one picture frame in the entire living space, and on closer inspection it looked like a young Nick Wilde and his mother.

It was sweet.

She reached down and unclipped her taser from her thigh holster so she could hold it in her paw as she began her walkthrough of the house. Knowing that officers had been there while they were out at the restaurant, sweeping the condo for bugs, Judy figured she wouldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. It was important for Nick to be aware of what her being there would entail and to begin the routine that would shape their lives until his stalker was caught.

Quietly moving from room to room, Judy looked behind doors, inside closets, under beds and other furniture. She was thorough, not willing to miss a single potential hiding space. Nick’s life might depend on it.

It took her a good ten minutes, but after she was certain she was the only animal in the immediate vicinity she decided it was safe to allow Nick inside. She opened the door. “All clear.”

Nick pushed himself off the wall and followed her into the condo, shutting and locking the door behind him. Once that task was complete, he turned to face her, the mischievous grin she had seen in the elevator back in his eyes. He took a step toward her, and then another, effectively backing her up into the wall that separated the living room and the kitchen.

“Well, Miss Hopps,” he said, resting one of his arms on the wall above her head and leaning into her, “this has certainly been an interesting day, hasn’t it?”

Her heart beat quickened as he leaned over her, his face mere inches from hers. “Yes, well, it’s not every day you get assigned to date a movie star,” she said with a light laugh, as though the whole thing was a joke. She may have been able to play it off, but her breath caught as he dipped his head lower, almost brushing his mouth against hers.

“There’s always room for you in my Lion sized bed,” he teased, his breath dancing across her lips and his tail wrapping around her legs. “For the sake of appearances, of course.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mr. Wilde,” she said. Trying to be so casual with him had obviously backfired and now she was paying for the flirty comment. She had to do something to put up walls between them or else she was going to find herself getting too involved with the male she was trying to protect. That wouldn’t end well for either of them.

Thankfully for her he pushed himself away from the wall, tossing her his “Robert Gamble” grin once again and leaving her to wonder if his offer had been serious or just his constant playful banter. “I’ll see you in the morning,” he said, pulling off his tie as he turned from her and headed to his bedroom as though he hadn’t just propositioned her.

Judy waited until he had closed his bedroom door before dashing to the spare bedroom she had checked out a few minutes before. Once she was alone, she slid to the floor by the bed and let out a deep groan.

What in the hell had she gotten herself into?


End file.
